In this blog post, I'm going to give you some questions to reflect on about 2017.

But why, Julie? I am just tooooo excited to start planning for 2018!

Because before you can create powerful intentions and set goals for 2018, it's important to reflect on the past year of your life to see what's gone right, what you could improve upon, and to celebrate yo pretty self - because I'm sure you don't do that enough!

Why It's Important to Reflect (And Not Just Plan for the Future)

I absolutely LOVE the energy of the New Year -- it gives us the sense of a 'fresh start,' and there's a collective energy of everyone getting excited about setting goals and intentions.

And while I'm not a huge fan of 'starting on Monday' (how ironic since January 1 falls on a Monday this year), I am ALL for whatever it takes for people to get excited about their lives and setting intentions/goals to make positive changes.

BUT HOLD UP A MINUTE LIL MAMA: what about the past year of your life that you just lived and rocked? The one where you seemingly fell on your face yet also totally thrived in?

Often we're busy creating goals and resolutions for 2018 that we forget to take inventory of the whole last year of our life!

Here's why it's important to reflect FIRST, and THEN plan for 2018:

Reflection allows you to look back at your year as a whole. What went right? What went wrong? What could you do better next year?

I'm a huge fan of CELEBRATING OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS! Reflecting allows us to look back at all we've achieved over the past year -- which is usually a lot more than we think. This simple confidence boost gives us the fuel we need to create even BIGGER dreams for the year ahead.

It's not always about what we should CHANGE in ourselves. Rather, let's look at what we were doing RIGHT all year long and continue to expand on that (vs. focus only on the negative / what we need to change).

Grab your journal, my love!

Grab your journal! This is meant to be an interactive exercise.

Just remember this is a reflection of your own life, so make it as true to you and unfiltered as possible.

The wonderful thing about journaling is no one has to see it but YOU! So be brutally honest with yourself here -- about the good AND the not-so-good.

Being completely honest, vulnerable and self aware is key to making true changes in our future selves. Keep that in mind as you're answering the questions.

7 Magic-Making Questions

1. What were the highlights of your year? (This is an 'overview' question - we will go into more depth later. Feel free to answer in bullet points.)

2. What went RIGHT for you in 2017? How can you bring more of that into 2018?

3. We can't change the past, so this isn't a 'what would you change' question. But, it is important to look back at ways we could've improved so we don't make the same mistakes over again. What could you improve upon on 2018? (I recommend breaking this down into sections: personal, fitness, work, spirituality, relationships, finances, whatever 'main categories' of your life you feel apply.)

4. What did you create that you're proud of?

5. What was a big, scary challenge or event that you overcame this year?

6. What dreams did you set out yourself and ACCOMPLISH in 2017? Or, what actions did you take to take steps toward your bigger dreams, even if they haven't all come to fruition yet?

7. WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT TODAY?!

I hope you found these introspective questions helpful, and feel even more prepared / ready to tackle all the highs & lows 2018 will throw your way.

My hope for you this year:

You'll come even MORE into your own skin,

see your biggest dreams come to life,

work hard,

play lots,

and learn how to create a body and life you love.

That's what I'm here to teach you.

Stay tuned for the rest of Setting Goals with Soul! Every week in January 2018, we'll be chatting all about goals, setting intentions, and giving you the tools to make 2018 your most transformative year yet.